The present invention relates to an energy-saving evaluation apparatus and an energy-saving evaluation system for evaluating energy conservation for a machine including an operating mechanism that is operated by using, as power, energy obtained by burning a fuel, an ecological driving evaluation apparatus and an ecological driving evaluation system for evaluating the ecological driving of a vehicle, such as an automobile and a method thereof.
Recently, the severity of the air pollution occasioned by noxious gases, such as NOx, CO and COz, in the exhausts of automobiles and other motor vehicles has been increasing, and individual automobile companies, in compliance with exhaust emission restrictions, have developed various types of low-emission vehicles.
While taking this historical background into account, an idling stop apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an IS apparatus) has been developed in order to limit unnecessary idling, and presently, this IS apparatus is being produced commercially (e.g., see JP-A-2002-371877).
When a user driving a vehicle equipped with the IS apparatus stops the vehicle at a red traffic light and shifts gears from drive (D) to neutral (N), the engine of the vehicle is automatically stopped (an idling stop). Thereafter, to restart the engine, the user shifts gears to drive (D) and then to neutral (N). After the engine has restarted, the user can shift gears from neutral (N) to drive (D) and resume driving.
In addition to the IS apparatus, another system has been proposed that employs monitoring devices installed along a road to detect the state of all vehicles traveling or stopped on the road. To reduce unnecessary idling, when a vehicle in the idling state is detected, a warning is generated for the user of the subject vehicle (e.g., see JP-A-2002-216291).
According to these related examples, it is anticipated that their use will contribute to a reduction in unnecessary idling, and that users in vehicles will be encouraged to employ energy-saving procedures while traveling. However, individual user cannot apprehend how environmentally friendly their driving (ecological driving) is. This is a problem that applies in common to all users who control machine (e.g., planes, ships and power generator engines; hereinafter, all of them are generally referred to as “engine-mounted machine”) powered by operating mechanisms driven by the energy produced by burning fuel.